Ahmad Yousuf, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's political advisor, said that during the recent United States presidential race a secret meeting took place between advisors to eventual winner Barack Obama senior members of the Islamist terror group in Gaza, according to a report in Tuesday's edition of the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat. Yousouf said Hamas was asked to keep the meetings secret to avoid influencing the American elections.
Yousuf told the newspaper, "Obama will have a different approach toward the Middle East than his predecessor George W. Bush," adding that Hamas was still in contact with Obama's aides. Obama said during the campaign that he would not open dialogue with Hamas unless it renounced terror and recognized Israel and its existing agreements with the Palestinian Authority.
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